Sunday, December 28, 2014

Woodlands Bicycle Route 1

Sharing my cycling route for the day which is an easy 7km ride (loop) from my place in Woodlands with nearly no elevation/climb. Had a bit of errands to run thus this pretty un-sexy route. To make it easy, let's just set the start point as Woodlands North Plaza.


First stop, I needed to go to the bike shop. Rodalink was a natural choice since my bike was from there. Plus, I haven't visited their new Woodlands outlet yet! But it's past 4pm so it has closed for the day. 

I rode over to 888 Plaza where I visited the neighbourhood bicycle shop instead. The uncle tuned my brakes for free! Thank you!

From there, I decided to go to the Police Centre nearest to Admiralty MRT station via Woodlands Ring Road rather than to follow the MRT tracks. Riding by Woodlands Ring Road offers less human and road traffic. Easy ride.


Despite owning my road bike for several years already, I have yet to register it with our local police. Therefore today's visit was to register my Polygon Helios 300 completed with Shimano Tiagra 18-speed system. A handsome, good entry level road bike. So I got its security label done in less than ten minutes. 

After which had a short stop over at Admiralty MRT station to grab a cup of taiwan green tea with basil seeds from Gong Cha =) Too had to resist.

Had wanted to head to Woodlands Waterfront which is about 3km away via the park connectors, but the sky was gloomy so I had a stopover at this new discovery - chinese temple to watch and see how to proceed. The temple is located opposite the driving centre, in the industrial park. Same stretch as Sheng Siong supermarket.

Paid respect to the main shrine and secondary shrines. Started drizzling thus it was clear that the plan to head over to Woodlands Waterfront is off. Headed home straight before the rain pours.


On the way home, discovered another bicycle workshop at Woodlands Auto Hub which I can visit next time.


Stay healthy, ride more! =)

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Getting to OneKM shopping mall from Paya Lebar MRT

OneKM shopping mall is fast growing onto me. It is a new mall in Paya Lebar, set for official opening at the end of Nov. At first I thought it's just going to be another mall. You know, just another mall...

But it turns out that my friend who visited before me was right. It was quite an interesting mall with some new shops that enhances the entire experience. It's not like, just another mall anymore. 

Alright, so before I get into the details, I'm sure you all need to know how to get to the mall. 

Getting out of Paya Lebar MRT station's exit A, turn right. Walk down the stretch that leads you to Cheers convenient store.


You will see Singapore Post Centre on your left (opposite the road), Cheers convenient store on your right. Turn right.


You will be led exactly onto this path and just keep walking straight. If you can't wait, just look up. You will see blue scaffolding towering in near distance. That is the residences (under construction) above OneKM. That is your destination.


Keep walking straight and you will see Tanjong Katong Complex. Keep walking straight.


Tada.. You see the residences and the orange balloon? The dotted facade and nice christmas decorations, that's OneKM. The entire walk took me about 5 minutes easy walk.


Nicely lit christmas decorations at the entrance. There's a Starbucks at this entrance!

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Vlog #14 - 100Doraemon Expo at JB

An avid fan of Doraemon, how could I miss any stop of the 100Doraemon Expo in Malaysia right? That's right! After going for its stop in KL (http://thewriteperson.blogspot.sg/2014/03/vlog-7-100-doraemon-expo-in-kl.html), I've been waiting for its next stop.


So this time, I made my way over the causeway to Johor Bahru to spend some quality time with my favourite anime character.


The biggest difference from its KL stop is the much lesser visitors. While it (probably) doesn't bodes too well for the organiser, it is definitely a plus for fans like me who's able to take the photos one by one! I was unable to even take a proper photo of any one doraemon at its KL stop without waiting in line.


This time, there are some new exhibits and also the stamping stations. You can purchase a limited edition stamping booklet from one of the staff at the stamping station and stamp away. Makes a pretty good momento.


The expo will be on till 4 Jan 2015 at RM25 per adult entry. Go before it's too late!


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Disclaimer: Ticket was fully paid for by TheWritePerson with no preferential treatments. This post is in no way commissioned by or represents Animation International.

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Of seamless memory and the arts.

Recognise these drawing? 




Every stroke and detail that seemed as though it came out of an architect's hand. Mesmorising.


To view more, visit the Singapore City Gallery at URA where Stephen Wiltshire's work is on display till 28 Feb 2015!

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Vlog #13 - Flight Experience: Malaysia Airline's Golden Lounge at KLIA and Business Class


Thank you for keeping with me till Vlog #13.

Another year has passed so it's time for another J class flight. While J is the IATA code for business class, this time I took an I class. I class tickets point to discounted business class. Not that I must take a business class flight annually, but it has always been a pleasure. I always enjoyed flying, the flight experience in totality.

So this time, I took MAS from Singapore to Hanoi. After the series of tragedy that struck MAS, why still MAS? SIA is our pride in Singapore and I am sure the case is the same for MAS. I cannot imagine losing any pride for SQ anytime, so I really don't mind giving MH a chance.

Frankly, there isn't much full-fledged airlines serving the Singapore-Hanoi route and while Vietnam Airlines and MAS had competitive rates for the dates that I travelled, MAS had much better timings. Moreover, I can earn my flyer miles with Qatar Airways since MAS is part of the oneworld alliance.

This episode of vlog features the onward leg of the journey. I must say the lounge at KLIA was amazing. To be fair, the lounge had decent to good food and drink choices with attentive service. However, the flight itself, not so. Of course I shouldn't compare to my Qatar Airways' business class experience last year, but if I had to, it's eons apart. (http://thewriteperson.blogspot.sg/2013/10/vlog-1-dnata-lounge-and-qatar-airways.html)

There's like a broken hole at the headphone jack at my seat. MAS' aircrafts are dated and apparently they know this. Their publicity campaign now focuses on their service, which isn't that impressive anyway. There were only TWO passengers in business class, so we 'almost' had a personal butler. But our 'personal butler' is always out of sight, hiding behind curtains, engaging in their own conversations. Oh yes, what's her name? I remembered Sujit served me well on Qatar last year. Yeah, so what was her name. Because her service didn't leave an impression at all.

Food on board should be coupled with service and presentation because it's business class. and because Qatar Airways (and FA Sujit) sets my bar. So on MH, I was handed the nice blue business class menu minus the personal touch. No one explained or recommended the menu to me, as well as the wine list. On top of that, being served peanuts in packets was unacceptable for business class. How about providing a plate?

Breakfast on board was not particularly tasty nor presentable except for the garlic bread. I am such a sucker for bread basket on flights and I thought this time round, MH wins. Only the bread. Clap clap.

Unlike other airlines, there was no amenity kit provided. No eye shade, tooth brush, ear plugs, comb everything. Mine was a day flight and I am really not satisfied with no eye shade provided. However there's a pillow and blanket on our seat though. The entertainment system featured movies that were dated as well. Some so dated that I don't recall seeing them in the screens this year. Earphones provided was not noise-cancelling. Just normal earphones. At least the garlic bread was good and like any other business class seat, I had enough stretch and turn space for myself even though MH don't have flat bed comfort.

Business class toilet provided Aigner toiletries which was not my cup of tea. Too strong smelling. Alright I admit this is personal preference so I try not to be too judgmental here. There's the Aigner lotion and perfumes. One bottle of fragrance for men and one for women. Just nice for the other male passenger and I.

And did I mention there was no sick bag in the pocket? If you are to make sure your service is so meticulous that I won't need a sick bag in the pocket after some champagne, wine and rickety travel, then I understand why there is no sick bag. Otherwise, this is basic. Period.


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Disclaimer: Flight was fully paid for by TheWritePerson with no preferential treatments. This post is in no way commissioned by or represents MAS.



Monday, August 11, 2014

Fun for entire family at Alive Museum Singapore!

Thank you to the management of Alive Museum Singapore for the kind blogger's invite. 

The Alive Musuem have its operations spanned over 6 countries and we're lucky to be one of it. So, I went to the Alive Museum Singapore located at third floor of Suntec City Mall with the best possible sample demographic for the family friendly attraction. I brought my 4 year old niece (children age group), myself (20s age group), my sister (30s age group) and my dad (senior citizen group). 

Armed with a camera, we were ready to take on the museum. Yes, that's all you need. In the museum, there are arrows on the ground indicating the photo points. Thus, even the worst photographer will still get the right camera angle, almost. There are also sample photos to ensure that you have the best experience.

My family enjoyed the museum thoroughly and in fact were a little exhausted by the end of the visit which took about one hour. I think a comfortable pace would be 1.5 hours in the museum. We rushed through the exhibits a little as the little one was getting impatient.

Certain exhibits are great for couple/group shots...







While others are better done alone...





There are also some exhibits which are more fun than the others with special effects, like sensor-activated wind/props to enhance your photo effect. 





From now till 31 Aug 2014, enjoy 20% off your tickets when you book online with discount code: aliveopen

Otherwise, enjoy a free Burger King meal when you purchase your tickets online without utilising the discount code. Meal includes choice of Fish'n Crisp/Chick'n Crisp, with one small fries and coke. 

Full priced tickets are at $25 (adult) and $20 (child). Operating hours 10am to 10pm daily (last admission at 9pm).


Address: Suntec City Mall #03-372 (between Towers 3 & 4)

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Monday, August 4, 2014

Southeast-Asia backpacking route #2 (13 days)

Singapore-Ho Chi Minh City-Ben Tre-My Tho-Phnom Penh-Siem Reap-Sihanoukville-Bangkok-Singapore

Been travelling quite a bit in the past few years, and I really enjoyed low budget backpacking. I found that the Vietnam-Cambodia-Bangkok way is one of the most economical and viable route in SEA. Very culturally enriching and gastronomically satisfying.

I took a budget flight to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and stayed in Pham Ngu Lao area. Pham Ngu Lao is the renown backpackers' paradise in HCMC. Plenty of cheap but good hostels that include breakfast. I stayed in Halo Guesthouse which have since renamed itself as of my last trip, but I've forgotten its new name. It served really good Com Tam (broken rice) for breakfast. I don't really fancy rice, but Com Tam makes the list of my favourite Vietnamese food. It is literally broken, rice. The rice grains are not full and often complimented with a slice of roasted chicken or pork and a veg dish.

To save money, you can take the green public bus from the airport to Ben Thanh market and walk to Pham Ngu Lao area, some 10-15 minutes away. Take the chance to have lunch in the food section of Ben Thanh market too. Viet food is amazing. I never really loved HCMC at first due to its bad traffic, but the food supersedes everything.

I met up with my friend and she brought me around in her motorbike. We had seafood at a roadside stall and it was good. HCMC have quite a bit to offer for a short trip which I have covered in my vlog previously. The various museums, Notre Dame Cathedral, post office and many other attractions.


A plus point of staying in Pham Ngu Lao is its accessibility. There are interstate buses departing daily right at your door step. It was easy to book cheap day tours too. I always book day tours if I can only afford a short stay in that particular city as it is the easiest way to see the entire city, and closest local food experience as the guide brings us to local restaurants. I went on the Mekong Delta trip and Cu Chi Tunnel trip.


The Mekong Delta day trip covered brought me to Ben Tre first where I took the sampan, heard a local singer perform over lunch. Visited a candy workshop/factory in a village. The same place also manufactured tonic wines with snakes in it.


After Ben Tre, we also went My Tho. Visited some temples and places in My Tho. As part of the trip, we also spent majority of the time on a boat, cruising on Mekong Delta. I love the rocking motion of a boat/ship/cruise. So it was definitely relaxing for me.


Cu Chi Tunnel trip was very educational to see how the entire system worked and the hardship. Lunch was on site eating steamed tapioca with salt dip. Getting into the hole was easy, but hardest part was to get out. I also got to climb the underground tunnel system, which was only able through crawling or squat-crawl. Not easy to move about at all. A lot of us fell asleep on the bus back to the city. It was tiring.

Set off for Phnom Penh on a night bus after 3 days in HCMC. Stayed in a hostel in the city centre which offered free laundry service. Usually I make my decision of hostel based on free breakfast and/or free laundry. For about 2 weeks' travel, 3 sets of clothes usually suffice as long as you make use of these free laundry services. I forgot the name of my hostel in Phnom Penh, but it was very convenient. My clothes came back smelling fresh and nice too!

There are Naga and Singha rock statues around the city and it would indicate the Buddhist influence and culture. Therefore, the first place to go to is naturally Wat Phnom (Phnom Temple). It is just 10 minutes walk from the city, located on a quaint hill. A small admission fee is charged for foreigners but it is reasonable as the temple is well maintained. There is a main shrine, as well as an open area with a row of medium sized buddha statues.

After which, it will be good to walk back to the city, chill out by the Tonle Sap river which you have a tonne of dinning options. Good place to people watch as well. Locals were playing sepak takraw in the evening, skillfully. There is also the evening wet market too.


For shopping, you may want to visit the central market, russian market or night market (Psar Reatrey), but I find that I can find almost everything at the central market at a fair price. Things at Russian market are more arty, targeted at foreigners. I wouldn't shop at russian market as the price is not fair, and I don't enjoy haggling. For supermarket, you may want to visit Sorya shopping centre for modern shopping mall experience.


Within walking distance in the city is also the grand palace. Ticketed admission. It is closed for few hours during lunch time, so be sure to check its opening hours before heading over. This way, you would have easily spent a day in Phnom Penh. 

At night, get a few new friends from your hostel and head over to one of the many pubs along Tonle Sap river for USD4/jug beer. We each had a jug, good time chatting while enjoying the breeze. 

Day 5. I tuk-tuk pooled with a new friend, Do, to go to Tuol Sieng Genocide Museum and the Cheung Ek Killing Fields. It was a very intense and heavy experience. We happened to see one of the survivors at Tuol Sieng. There's a lot of local and overseas tourists in at Tuol Sieng, as well as a lot of guides trying to sell their service. Do and I actually found the cheap way out. We were just walking around reading the descriptions but it was so much easier to just walk behind those English-guided tour group. Free tour! However, the guides became so slow at some point, we decided to move on on our own.

Cheung Ek Killing Fields' admission came with an audio guide. It was just walking around and listening at our own pace. But watch out, if you are not careful, you might end up stepping on the bone and clothes fragments of the victims. Yes, they are just on the ground. The centre of the field is a memorial tower where thousands of skulls were displayed. The combination of genocide museum and killing fields is not something i'll like to take in a day again. Too intense. 

I prefer strolling along Tonle Sap.


Day 6, I made my way to Siem Reap by bus. Few hours away from Phnom Penh, just take a morning bus will do. Under my new friends' recommendations in Phnom Penh, I got the hostel receptionist to help me phone book the Hostelling International Siem Reap. HISR provided free tuk tuk from the bus terminal to HISR. However, my tuk tuk never arrived at all. I took a motodup to HISR instead. Apparently, the tuk tuk driver went to the wrong place. HISR paid for my motodup ride!

HISR is the cleanest and most cosy hostel I've stayed in in Cambodia. They have got free computer kiosk, hot shower, pool table and bicycle. There is a night market opposite the hostel as well. It is so near to action yet quiet enough. 5 mins walk to the old market, and 5-10 mins walk to the pub/city area. USD0.50 beers are a norm in the pub area. Decent stuff at unbeatable price. Go try roadside bbq stalls as well, it's nice. In the city area, the gem is Siem Reap Night Market. Usually we would expect night markets to sell very generic stuffs at overhyped price, but not at Siem Reap Night Market. Thumbs up. Get the Cambodian scarf at USD1. It's versatile and handy for backpackers. Got a fishermen pants at USD7, and it was so comfortable and useful; elaborate later.


There is a market similar to Phnom Penh's central market in the city area as well but I can't remember the name. There, you can buy things like counterfeit North Face backpacks. Not sure about the prices but don't get knock offs. Go get some reasonably priced magnets as souvenirs instead.
Day 7 I cycled to Angkor Wat before daybreak. Think it was 5 plus in the morning. I followed the directions that the hostel receptionist told me the night before. Just keep cycling. After I got my admission ticket, I was supposed to go to Angkor Wat's reflection pool to view the sunrise. But I cycled the wrong way as there's no road signs. I cycled so far off the original track, and ended up at the foot of Wat Bakheng, where I met an Australian tourist who intended to hike up Wat Bakheng to watch the sunrise. Her tuk tuk driver told her that was the real deal, but none of us had got torchlights with us. So we took turns to light the path with our handphones, and I followed closely to her butt. We hiked with caution and talked in the dusk.

Up at Wat Bakheng, were only three other photographers. But the sunrise was amazing.


I loved Angkor Wat. Go and take more photos! I enjoyed climbing up and down, and cycling around the 20km track too. The hostel receptionist told me it's very near to cycle to Angkor Wat, but didn't tell me about the 20km loop! What's worse was not the loop, it was the traffic to battle when cycling back in the evening. The busy traffic and dusty road. 


Anyway, the fishermen pants was very very useful especially for this trip. It was comfortable enough for cycling, easy for hiking, climbing up and down the steep steps, and cooling for the hot and humid weather. Don't know about its aesthetics, but there was a group of local girls who requested a photo with me. I was too embarrassed I quickly disappeared after the photo. HAHAHA!


There is a long bridge into Angkor Wat, built over the reflective pool. If you're lucky, you might notice this lady who is standing by the ledge selling something called palm juice. She hangs bamboo containers on the palm tree collects the nectar if I'm not wrong. The drink was exactly what you needed to cool yourself down. It tasted like green bean soup to some extent but just so cooling. 


Oh yes, if you're cycling, just park your bicycle at the start of the bridge. If children touts come about to charge you USD2 for tending your bicycle, just say that you are calling the tourist police nearby. They will go away and leave your bicycle alone.

I was on my Facebook not knowing where to head to next as there was still about two days to spare before meeting my friend in Bangkok. Just then, my Cambodian friend on Facebook recommended me two destinations: Mondulkiri and Sihanoukville. Mondulkiri was too far away from the border into Thailand, thus Sihanoukville was a practical choice. Moreover, I love the beach, sunshine and beer. Sihanoukville is home to the country's beer brewery.

Day 8. The stopover to Sihanoukville was at Kampong Thom where I had lunch at a local coffeeshop. Nobody spoke English but they had an English menu!?! So I had fried noodles. When the noodles came, I thought it was the wrong order. They were so generous with the vegetables, it formed a 'mountain'. It was very tasty.


Sihanoukville literally meant King Sihanouk's holiday 'ville'. Occheuteal beach have a plaque stating that it is the most beautiful bay in the world. It has got a long shoreline, including Otres beach and few others. Beautiful sunset, great chill out place. I just settled in a good pub, beach chair and had beer and food all day there. I stayed at Utopia where it's only USD7 per night. Decent stay, happening people. Exclusive beach town. So Day 8 and 9 were spent on the beach.


Day 10, I took the overnight bus to Bangkok. Wasted a few hours as I didn't know that the bus would have to go back to Siem Reap first to transfer into a more luxurious bus. If I had knew about this, I could have planned to go Sihanoukville first then to Siem Reap. Anyway, the bus took us to the border crossing at Poi Pet, Cambodia. By foot, we will have to follow the others to the custom where the crossing will bring us into Arayaprathet, Thailand. Spent all your Cambodian Riels before you cross, be prepared to lose some money as a lot of Thai currency exchange won't buy your riels. An effective currency to use in Cambodia and Vietnam is USD, stock on that.

By the way, I left out this. The border crossing of Vietnam into Cambodia is at Moc Bai. See the tall and long statue below. That is Moc Bai.


After border crossing into Thailand, I was instructed to get into a squeezy van. I swear that was the worst ride I had so far. I felt like vomitting by the time I reached Bangkok. Good thing was that the van ran on CNG, so it had to stop every two hours or so to refill on gas. God sent breather. Advantage of the van was that it brought us right into Khao San. Saved additional travelling time.


Spent another 3 days in Bangkok before flying back to Singapore for Chinese New Year! Visited the usual places in Bangkok and met my good friend, Rainbow! =)


So that concludes a 13-day trip. Low budget as food and accommodation was cheap. Inclusive of transport, food and accommodation, daily average budget was about USD30-40 only. Sometimes higher, sometimes lower. Like in Sihanoukville, USD7 (bed) + USD8 (food & beer) x 2 days + USD 28 (overnight bus to bkk) = USD58 for 2 day 3 nights!

To be able to go backpacking is really a good experience. Go ahead and plan your trip. Stay safe and explore.

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Friday, August 1, 2014

8 things to do in Nairobi, Kenya

I was very fortunate to be able to represent the Singapore Internet Research Centre to Nairobi, Kenya for Internet Governance Forum 2011. Getting sponsored to go for a top level conference in my subject of interest: Internet Governance, plus travel and allowance... Getting to know the highly knowledgeable professionals in Internet Governance. Plus, you know how much I enjoyed travelling and flight experience. At that point, I felt my life was almost complete.

Anyway, a personal appeal here. My research interest still centralises on Internet Governance and social issues of the Internet, if you happen to have any literature on these topics that you don't want anymore, I will be more than happy to take them in. It will be good if I can borrow from you too.

I am very blessed and am grateful for everything in my life. Hard work without meeting the judge of talent goes down the drain. That is why I make it a point to include everything, living and non-living in my prayers. To be so blessed, I have no better way to show my appreciation than to share my experience. Thus this blog.

Anyway, it was a really eye-opening experience in Nairobi. I might have shared my experience in past post, so let's concentrate on things to do in Nairobi. This is why you click-through my link isn't it?


#1 Have a look at the matatu stop/ have a ride in the matatu

These vans are their local transport and on the several occasions that I passed by, it was really crowded.
#2 Nairobi National Park

Few kilometres away from the city centre, is almost, the most dangerous place. The safari! Giraffe, lion, gazelle, zebra, black rhino, birds, baboon, ostrich and many other animals up close. Book a tour with a local tour operator and hop on those open top vans. It was so fun. The driver had a good network in the park as well, therefore knowing all the right places to view all the different animals.


#3 Nairobi Mamba Village

Was brought to this place for lunch after the Nairobi National Park day tour. This place is quaint, cosy and whips up a good meal. It wasn't expensive too. You can choose to pay in USD or Kenyan Shillings as of most other establishments.




#4 Masai Market

This is one of the best part of Nairobi's culture. Masai is the name of a tribe in Nairobi, and naturally, Masai Market is a marketplace for sale of products representative of the Masai tribe. Handmade with love by the locals. The market's location rotates through out the week, so be sure to research before heading out of hotel. As it can be quite dangerous, it is best to hail a hotel cab. I happened to go to the one at the city centre, so a self walking tour via app is recommended.

The locals are friendly, even though they really try hard to sell. Ignore those touts along the roads that who promises to show you around the market and get good price for you. They are touts, and you'll end up like wingless birds on the chopping board. I've seen how the touts 'chop' the Caucasian tourists. Oh man, cruel. Just go walk around on your own and have the best experience.

Best buy from there is the Shuka, which is the Masai blanket. Very durable and keeps you warm. The Masai people wraps the Shuka like a giant shawl and it protects from them the elements of weather. For me, it is still a very good blanket. Got it from the locals at USD8, they offered 'best price', I felt it was reasonable and took it without haggling. You see the seller even demonstrated how to wrap, and wrapped me up, even before I commit to the purchase. Later on, I got a second Shuka at USD10 for my dad. I felt I could afford a little tips for her friendliness. Saw another tourist got 'chopped' by their tout at USD20 though.


#5 Self Walking City Tour with iphone app

I downloaded a self walking city tour app from app store prior to the trip and it was useful. Walk down the street and have some ice cream, be comfortable. Really, just be comfortable with yourself. It was weird to have so many eyes looking at me because I am fair-skinned. Instantly I was like a walking exhibit. People were saying Jambo (hi in Swahili) to me every now and then. But generally still safe in the day before the beggars come out at night, which is really scary because they will just follow you very closely and pester you in a crowd.

As part of the walking tour, see the judiciary, international convention centre, locals riding on horseback with the traffic, and chill out at Uhuru Park. Uhuru Park is a good place to see the community. Locals having picnic, chilling on grass patch etc.



#6 Try local food

Steamed sweet corn stirred with onion, salsa, condense milk, pepper, salt, capsicum. It was delicious! Sausage stuffed with really spicy stuffs. Fast food. Stony Tangawizi (ginger beer) and all the cuisines. Just try everything from clean places. Tusker beer!



#7 Hire a local and go into Kibera Slum

Get into the biggest slum in East Africa by contact a slum resident as guide. I got William's contact online and arranged for him to pick me up from my hotel for the tour. Kibera Slum is not accessible for non-residence due to triads & gangs and territorial protection. You will need a local to get you in. William told me to hand my camera to him because it's dangerous for a girl to carry a camera around in the slum. Don't worry, William was good in handling camera and he took all the photos. In fact, with the road conditions so bad, I had difficulties 'trekking' the paths. It was great to have him handle the photography. So muddy I had to throw away my favourite sanuk sneakers after that.

This tour into the slum was heart wrenching despite trying to smile. The living conditions were so bad and health risks rampant. I've made a video on my YouTube channel before wrt the slum, maybe you'll want to have a look there.

There is a power women group in the slum and it is a shop ran out of a container space by women with AIDS. They are trying to be independent, and a sweden women helped get them started on this power women group shop. The women draws inspiration from latest products at Nakumatt supermarket and make their own versions of beadwork bracelet, necklace and stuff. Unfortunately, not many people get into the slum and sales is not brisk. 

I bought the tshirt and a scarf from them and they were so grateful when they were receiving payment from me. They did a half-kneel to express their gratitude. How am I deserving of that as a human being not different from them. How can anyone have to kneel down. I was broken even till date when I recall that kneel, I am still broken.

The ladies requested that I put on my new tshirt and have a photograph with them. More than happy to do so. They said it was the first tshirt sold. Sniff sniff.



There is also the Tunza Orphanage and school within the slum. Hardworking young lads still doing revision on a holiday. I brought some exercise books and stationery for them. Education is the way to go. I have worked harder in school ever since the trip because I have so much more but didn't appreciate it before. While studying in Liverpool, I had my bank card printed with one of their images as a constant reminder for me to work triply hard if I want to help them some day. Yes seriously, I attribute my first class honours to them too. I have learnt so much about life, not through comparison though.


#8 Woodland market

Just down the road from Westgate (where the kenyan shooting took place last year), is the Woodland market. It is almost a hidden market near the roundabout. Few prominent shops fringing the market, but you'll just have to be daring to walk into the alleys, where the action lies. All the same kind of craft work on sale all over Nairobi, but this is the only place where I saw how they produced the art. Hand drawn motifs on limestone. Happy faces, open-minded locals who tries to chat you up without hardsell. They were so interested in me because I'm fair-skinned, I got a lot of questions asked. One of the seller even wanted to gift me a piece of limestone ornament. He insisted on gifting me even though I wasn't keen in buying his goods. I took it eventually, but I bought a few more from him. I also think they seldom had their photographs taken, they all wanted a photograph each. What we took for granted, was a rarity for them. So much to learn, so hard to swallow. 



Extra: #9 Internet Governance Forum

The conference is over and there is no way of revisiting, but I thought I will just give you a peek of it. It was held at United Nations Office at Nairobi, head office of Africa. Needless to say, an awesome experience. I really love the challenges of Internet Governance and social issues of the Internet. I'll urge you to read up on it too. I really hope that I will be able to develop this research interest of mine to benefit the society, be it on IG, child right, ICT4D or even digital divide.


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